Stinky beast
A re-post of "Introducing: Puchi Monster!"
Happy Friday, readers. Today I’m re-sharing a lighthearted post on a made-up character. This formerly paid subscribers-only story has just enough levity and kindness that I thought might brighten your day. ~JRC
Introducing: Puchi Monster!
A molding and casting experiment
First published July 6th as a subscribers-only story
“Puchi" is a Quechua word that means "stinky.” My son's mother is Ecuadorian, and she would exclaim "puchi!" when our then-baby boy would do what healthy babies often do. We started using the word whenever something smelled bad, including you-know-what. As my son grew, he learned - like most kids (and some adults) - that flatulence is really funny. So in our family, it’s now a running joke to say, "It wasn't me. It was Puchi Monster!"
And that is the origin story of Puchi Monster.
Puchi Monster first took shape in drawings that I'd make, keeping our son entertained in restaurants.
Loosely based on those Ugly Dolls that were popular for a while, he's boxy like a Studio Ghibli creature. But he has his own style. And allegedly, his own smell (although he denies any wrongdoing).
Now that I’ve been molding and casting for work contracts, and have the equipment and materials, my son and I decided it was high time to make Puchi Monster in 3-D.
To start, I sculpted him out of polymer clay.
I made the eyes, a lone tooth, and feet and partially heat-cured these ahead of time so they'd keep their shape. Then I wadded up a small foil ball and layered on some fresh clay. Adding the pre-cured features, I attached and blended the parts with more clay. After a little refinement, final heat-curing, and finish sanding, Puchi Monster was ready.
The finished figure is about 1 1/4” tall and about 1 1/2” wide.
He looks kind of like an owl crossed somehow with a golf ball. And appears to have the latter's intelligence, with those odd-sized eyes and conspicuous underbite. But that's just fine with us. We think he's cute. And silly. Which is fitting for a made-up character that supposedly farts a lot.
Next, my son made a small box out of Legos, and we hot-glued Poochie Monster to one of the bricks. This we snapped into the box. With the original sculpt secured inside, we mixed up some two-part silicone rubber and poured it into the box, covering the figure. A half-hour later, we pulled out the rubber and removed Puchi Monster unscathed.
For casting, we used two-part fast cure resin. It’s simple to use, but you have to work quickly. Measuring out equal parts, you stir in color to one part, then quickly mix in the second part before finally pouring this into the mold. After a few short minutes, the resin cures, and the final cast is ready.
Our first try showed a few imperfections, so I cleaned up the inside of the mold and tried again.
The result was not bad - we were happy with it - so we began making copy after copy, trying out different colors, many of which are glow-in-the-dark.
My son's going to give puchi monsters to some of his friends. I love that he knows his buddies’ favorite colors (kids can be so thoughtful). He even suggested we make one for a friend's little sister. How sweet is that?
Anyway, this was a fun experiment.
It's gratifying to take something from the imagination and, through a little effort, end up with a tangible object. And it's even more fun to share these creations with others, as my son is so willing to do.
Until next time.
JRC